Recently, a job accounting system for counting the number of sheets used for each user and performing accounting or the like on the basis of the data is being available for a network-connected printer.
The job accounting system manages accounting information such as the number of sheets to be printed for each user. The user can use a printer belonging to the job accounting system only when he/she is authenticated by the system. The user inputs authentication information such as an ID or password to the system before execution of a print job, and is generally authenticated in units of jobs.
Also in a printer used in this accounting system, various additional functions are realized for a printer driver of controlling the printer. A printer driver having, among these functions, a job combination function of temporarily spooling a plurality of jobs and printing them at once is available.
To print data by the printer driver using the job combination function in the job accounting system, print jobs are not processed as a single job in authentication, and the user must perform authentication processing for each of the combined print jobs. This degrades productivity and operability, which is the first problem.
In the system in which authentication is done in units of print jobs, authentication information must be confirmed even at a terminal dedicated to a single user every time a print request is issued to generate a print job. This is cumbersome and degrades operability. To print data in an environment where a plurality of pieces of authentication information are used, e.g., at a terminal shared by a plurality of users, accurate accounting information cannot be acquired unless authentication information is confirmed for each print job. Owing to the usage of the terminal, operability and authentication reliability are difficult to be consistent with each other, which is the second problem.
When authentication information is not confirmed for each print job, authentication processing is performed without confirming authentication information in advance every printing. In this case, authentication information must be confirmed to be correct prior to printing, which is the third problem.
When the job accounting system is implemented by a computer, it is implemented by the OS (Operating System). Some types of OSs can define a plurality of authority levels, but only a single job accounting setting method is provided. For example, a given type of OS cannot provide the manager with a flexible operation method such as a function capable of changing whether to save authentication information, which is the fourth problem.